ARTICLES ABOUT REZONING BY DATE - PAGE 5

Public schools must find room for every child living within district boundaries, which can become a hardship when new subdivisions--and new students--keep emerging from former farm fields. Adding insult to injury for districts is the fact that zoning decisions are made by city councils or village boards that do not have to come up with money for new schools or teachers. One school district in the southwest suburbs is saying enough is enough. Joliet Township High School District 204 has sued the city of Joliet, arguing that a zoning decision to allow a residential subdivision would result in too many students the district can ill afford to educate.

Awaiting answers from Wal-Mart executives, City Council members again delayed a vote Wednesday on whether the retail giant can build a store at 163rd Street and Farrell Road. The council made a list of provisions in the amended annexation and rezoning agreements that eliminated a proposed gas station, added landscaping and berms and asked for financial contributions totaling $300,000, as well as contributions to several schools. According to Wal-Mart officials, they need to determine whether their plan still will be cost-effective with the additions and changes.

A developer is proposing to raze five houses at Wheaton's far northwest corner and to construct buildings for a medical office, retail and a bank. Developer and physician Steven Armbrust has increased the acreage of the plan he originally submitted to the city in January and has expanded the project to include the bank building. He is proposing a two-story medical office building, a one-story retail building and a 4,600-square-foot bank building. Armbrust wants to annex four of the houses, at 0N625, 0N645, 0N659 and 0N689 Gary Ave. The fifth house, at 1975 Gary Ave., already is in within Wheaton.

The zoning of part of the Hickory Hills Country Club could be changed to ensure that development of the resort and golf club is single-family rather than condominiums. Ald. Kathleen Riley suggested that the city consider rezoning the southern 96 acres of the country club from multifamily to single-family. Riley said she is concerned that if the property were redeveloped, more than 1,000 condominiums could be built, putting a burden on the already financially strapped local school district.

The Boy Scouts Chicago Area Council on Tuesday approved the sale of its 4,800-acre summer camping property in Michigan to an investor group for $19.4 million. The council's board of directors has been discussing for several months a controversial proposal to sell part of the campground, including lakefront land where camps are located, and use the proceeds to improve facilities and programs there. The proposal to sell the entire Owasippe Scout Reservation took some board members by surprise.

More than a dozen residents at a Naperville Plan Commission meeting spoke out Wednesday against a developer's proposal to construct 33 single-family houses on nearly 17 acres at the northeast corner of Book and Douglas Roads. Developer Oliver-Hoffmann Corp. is requesting annexation to the city and rezoning from agricultural and high density multifamily residential to single-family residential land use. The vacant property is in unincorporated Will County. Neighbors complained about traffic that would be generated from the additional homes and specifically wanted access to the subdivision, which was shown at two points off of Douglas, to be reconfigured off of Book Road.

Starbucks hopes to take up residence in the proposed Lemont Village Square on State Street by fall. The coffee shop would join an Ace Hardware and Cold Stone Creamery ice cream parlor in 43,000 square feet of commercial space on the east side of State Street across from the Jewel Osco shopping center south of 127th Street. M2O Development went before the Village Board's committee of the whole meeting this week requesting annexation of 3 acres of the more than 7-acre site that surrounds the Community Bank of Lemont.

Village officials plan to take their time to review a proposed project before giving in to a developer who has demanded a yes-or-no vote on a rezoning request. The rezoning approval would pave the way for Terra Cotta Realty Co. to bring large residential, retail and industrial developments to about 1,350 acres along Illinois Highway 31. Trustees said they want to read the meeting transcripts from the village's Zoning Board of Appeals, which recommended last month that the board reject the rezoning request.

Western Springs officials abandoned proposed zoning changes that would have paved the way for a 355-unit housing development at the site of the former Timber Trails Country Club Saturday after listening to more than seven hours of comments on the project. Village President John Kravcik said Monday the village would reconsider the project as a "residential planned-unit development" that would allow the village to plan building densities, lot sizes, and yard setbacks for the Timber Trails site.